Pleasing Men

Any Christian, whether he is an Evangelist, a Missionary, a Church Elder, a Pastor, a Church leader or a Churchgoer who preaches the Gospel, should not please men but God. It is extremely dangerous to please men. Only carnal Christians please men. Christians who preach to please men are looking for praise from men! This fact is made clear by the apostle Paul:

"For the appeal (in preaching or in exhortation) we made does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed - God is our witness. We are not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else" (1 Thess. 2:3 - 6, NIV, emphasis added).

Here are some statements of truth:

1. A preacher must not cultivate a carnal or fleshly lifestyle. Words or phrases like "error", "impure motives", "trick", "flattery" and "to cover up greed" describe a Christian with a carnal lifestyle.

2. God does not entrust the Gospel to every preacher. Only preachers who do not please men but God are approved by God to preach the Gospel.

In fact Paul mentioned himself being "entrusted with the Gospel" in many of his epistles - Gal. 2:7; 1 Tim. 1:11; Titus 1:3.

3. God tests the hearts of preachers (and all his people) - whether they have carnal or impure motives or not.

The psalmist acknowledged that God does tests the hearts of men:

"The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. The Lord tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates" (Psalm 11:4, 5, NKJV).

David said to his son Solomon:

"As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever" (1 Chron. 28:9, NKJV).

True Christians must not please men

Paul said, "For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ" (Gal. 1:10, NKJV, emphasis added).

Here are some statements of truth:

1. The word "now" is used here, evidently, to express a contrast between Paul's present and former purpose and way of life. Before Jesus met him (before conversion) Paul derived his authority from men (Acts 9:1, 2), and he endeavored to act so as to please men and gain their good esteem. But "now" (after his conversion) it was not his object. His highter aim was to please God.

The implication is that pleasing men is a natural thing to do before a person is converted. But after convertion he should let his spirit, quickened by the Holy Spirit, to "crucify his flesh" (see my message last week) and to please men no longer but to please God in all circumstances. All true Christians should emulate Paul.

2. A "bondservant of Christ" actually means simply a true Christian. Every true Christian is a servant or a slave of Christ - whether he is an ordained Minister or an ordinary Churchgoer. What Paul implied here is that everyone who pleases men cannot even be called a Christian! Paul was honest enough to consider himself, remained unconverted and remained as an unbelieving Jew, if his motive was to please men. Obviously, a carnal Christian, who is no difference from an unbeliever, cannot be entrusted by God to preach the Gospel! Would God call you if He could not trust you?

I suggest my readers refer to my posting in September, 2006 entitled "Churches that are mere Storehouses" where I shared about the Mega-Church ministries. It is clear that you just can't build a Mega-Church without without pleasing men. The whole philosophy of building a successful Mega Local Church is - The Church must become like the world to win the world. The first thing the Church does in order to become like the world is to please men. Therefore on the basis of the above Scripture passage, all the elders, senior Pastors, Pastors, associate Pastors and all full time workers in most Mega-Churches are not servants of God; they are non Christians - the same status as unbelievers. They store up Churchgoes for hell!

Paul warned Timothy concerning the corruption of Local Churches and Churchgoers in the Last Days - now is the last of the Last days!

"For the time will come when they (so-called Christians) will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shell turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned into fables" (2 Tim. 4:3, 4, KJV, emphasis added).

Notice that you need endurance to listen to correct Biblical doctrine. Because of their carnal desires and their itching ears the majority of Churchgoers prefer to listen to something pleasing or gratifying.

Isaiah prophesied concerning rebellious and carnal people:

"They say to the seers, 'See no more visions!' and to the prophets, 'Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions'" (Isaiah 30:10, NIV).

Visions of what is right are sound Biblical doctrines whereas illusions are "itching ears" doctrines.

By the way, it is very unlikely that you find a single "itching ears" message in my postings and I believe many Christians need "endurance" to read them!

"All things to all men"

Paul was misunderstood when he said he became "all things to all men" in the following passage of Scripture:

"For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel's sake, that I may be partaker of it all with you" (1 Cor. 9:19 - 23, NKJV, emphasis added).

First of all, Paul's purpose in life was for the sake of the Gospel. His desire of being "all things to all men" was to make his ministry as effective as possible - to get people save. But many Bible readers, including Bible teachers, believed he pleased men and compromised the truth of the Gospel. Many believers say Paul advocated adapting the Gospel to the tastes of unbelievers to win them to Christ.

I believe otherwise - Paul was adapting himself to the Gospel message!

The question we need to ask ourselves is that - How could a servant of God like Paul who would not please men and yet compromised the truth of the Gospel at the same time? It's simply not consistent!

Here is a brief summary of Paul's Ministry:

1. Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel (Romans 1:16).

2. Paul suffered for Christ for the Gospel's sake (2 Cor. 11:23 - 28).

3. Paul's Gospel messages were non-negotiable (1 Cor. 9:16) and he charged Timothy to emulate him (2 Tim. 4:2, 5).

I suggest my readers refer to my earlier posting entitled "All things to all men" where I attempted to expound what Paul meant when he said he became "All things to all men". The fact is: Paul did exactly what God called him to do, and finished it - without the need to please men and without the need to compromise the truth of God's Word!

Paul finally said, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Tim. 4:7).

Just think about it - Is it really necessary to keep the faith and to "fight the good fight" if Paul's motive was to please men?

Our hope is the Lord

If you believe your hope is the Lord you will not please men and make flesh (your carnal desire) your strength. Otherwise you'll be under a curse:

"Cursed is the man who trust in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord. .....Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and chose hope is the Lord. ...." (Jeremiah 17:5 - 8).

The Scripture is very clear - Any Christian leader who trusts the Lord will not make flesh his strength. If he pleases man by compromising the truth of God's Word, then he neither trusts the Lord nor has any hope in Him!